Uri Berlinerhttp://kttz.org
enFor Long-Haul Drivers, Cheap Gas Means A Sweeter Commutehttp://kttz.org/post/long-haul-drivers-cheap-gas-means-sweeter-commute
With wages still stuck for many Americans, the big drop in gas prices is the equivalent of an unexpected cash bonus for the nation's drivers.<p>The average American household is expected to save $750 this year from lower gas prices, <a href="http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policy/2013cpr/chap1.htm" target="_blank">according to the Energy Department</a>.<p>But Thomas Kinnaman, an economist at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pa., says it's instructive to look beyond the word "average."<p>"It's not that we're not all average families, we're not average drivers," he says.Thu, 29 Jan 2015 09:14:00 +0000Uri Berliner57987 at http://kttz.orgFor Long-Haul Drivers, Cheap Gas Means A Sweeter CommuteHere's Why Retailers Keep Sending You Catalogshttp://kttz.org/post/heres-why-retailers-keep-sending-you-catalogs
Many things made with paper have become relics because of computers and the Internet: the Rolodex, multivolume encyclopedias, even physical maps.<p>Now take a look in your mailbox or somewhere around your house. There's a good chance you'll see a shopping catalog, maybe a few of them now that it's the holiday season.<p>"I ignore them," says Rick Narad, a professor at California State University, Chico. "I get them in the mail sometimes, and they don't make it into the house.Thu, 11 Dec 2014 08:54:00 +0000Uri Berliner55634 at http://kttz.orgHere's Why Retailers Keep Sending You CatalogsIn South Carolina, A Program That Makes Apprenticeships Workhttp://kttz.org/post/south-carolina-program-makes-apprenticeships-work
Several years ago, South Carolina had a problem: a shortage of skilled workers and no good way to train young people for the workforce. So at a time when apprenticeship programs were in decline in the U.S., the state started a program called Apprenticeship Carolina.<p>"We were really, really squarely well-positioned at the bottom," says Brad Neese, the program's director.<p>From the beginning, South Carolina took apprenticeship beyond the building trades — that's the traditional route for apprentices — to fields like nursing, pharmacy and IT.Thu, 06 Nov 2014 08:24:00 +0000Uri Berliner53934 at http://kttz.orgIn South Carolina, A Program That Makes Apprenticeships WorkWhy Are Men Leaving The American Workforce?http://kttz.org/post/why-are-men-leaving-american-workforce
There's a long, unfolding story about work in America that often gets overlooked. It's the story of men opting out of work altogether. These are men who have vanished from the labor force — men who don't have a job and aren't looking for one.<p>To describe this historic development with the context it deserves, we start with the American economy after World War II. It was firing on all cylinders, dominant globally, confident and dynamic. It was a great time to be an American man in the workplace. Hiring was strong for white-collar jobs and factory work.Mon, 11 Aug 2014 20:14:00 +0000Uri Berliner49487 at http://kttz.orgWhy Are Men Leaving The American Workforce?From Coffee Futures To Bulk Buying: A Year Of Adventurous Investinghttp://kttz.org/post/coffee-futures-bulk-buying-year-adventurous-investing
<em>A year ago, NPR's Uri Berliner decided to take his money out of a savings account that was losing value to inflation and turn it loose in an investing adventure. A <a href="http://www.npr.org/series/187092877/dollar-for-dollar-adventures-in-uncommon-investments" target="_blank">series of stories in 2013</a> described his newly acquired assets and sought to shed light on how the markets for them worked.</em><p>I had up to $5,000 of savings I was willing to risk. I ended up investing around $3,600.Fri, 06 Jun 2014 07:46:00 +0000Uri Berliner45703 at http://kttz.orgFrom Coffee Futures To Bulk Buying: A Year Of Adventurous Investing